Crivewwi and Company were managing bof La Scawa and La Fenice in Venice, and as a resuwt, in Apriw–May 1830 Bewwini was abwe to negotiate a contract wif dem for two operas, one at each deatre. The opera for December 1831 at La Scawa became Norma and whiwe de one for de 1832 Carnivaw season at La Fenice became Beatrice di Tenda.[1]

Wif Bewwini's La sonnambuwa successfuwwy staged in March 1831 and Giuditta Pasta having demonstrated her extensive vocaw and dramatic ranges in creating de rowe of Amina, de Swiss viwwage maiden, she had been engaged by La Scawa for her debut during de fowwowing season, uh-hah-hah-hah. Bewwini and Romani den began to consider de subject of de coming autumn's opera. By de summer, dey had decided to base it on Awexandre Soumet's pway which was being performed in Paris at around dat time and which Pasta wouwd have seen, uh-hah-hah-hah.

For de fordcoming autumn/winter season, La Scawa had engaged Giuwia Grisi (de sister of Giuditta Grisi) and de weww-known tenor Domenico Donzewwi, who had made a name for himsewf wif Rossini rowes, especiawwy dat of Otewwo. They wouwd fiww de rowes of Adawgisa and Powwione. Donzewwi provided Bewwini wif precise detaiws of his vocaw capabiwities which were confirmed by a report which de Neapowitan composer Saverio Mercadante awso provided. By de end of August it appears dat Romani had compweted a considerabwe amount of de wibretto, enough at weast to awwow Bewwini to begin work, which he certainwy did in de first weeks of September as de verses were suppwied.[2] He reported in a wetter to Pasta on 1 September:

I hope dat you wiww find dis subject to your wiking. Romani bewieves it to be very effective, and precisewy because of de aww-incwusive character for you, which is dat of Norma. He wiww manipuwate de situations so dat dey wiww not resembwe oder subjects at aww, and he wiww retouch, even change, de characters to produce more effect, if need be.[3]

Norma was compweted by about de end of November. Whiwe, for Romani, it became "de most beautifuw rose in de garwand" of aww his work wif Bewwini,[4] it was not achieved widout some struggwes. Bewwini, now at de height of his powers, was very demanding of his wibrettist and reqwired many re-writes before he was satisfied enough to set it to music.[5]

After rehearsaws began on 5 December, Pasta bawked at singing de "Casta diva" in act 1, now one of de most famous arias of de nineteenf century. She fewt dat it was "iww adapted to her vocaw abiwities",[6] but Bewwini was abwe to persuade her to keep trying for a week, after which she adapted to it and confessed her earwier error.[7] At de opening night, de opera was received wif what Weinstock describes as "chiww indifference".[8] To his friend Francesco Fworimo, on de night of de premiere, Bewwini wrote "Fiasco! Fiasco! Sowemn fiasco!" and proceeded to teww him of de indifference of de audience and how it affected him.[9]

In addition, in a wetter to his uncwe on 28 December, Bewwini tried to expwain de reasons for de reactions. As oder commentators have awso noted, some probwems were innate to de structure and content of de opera, whiwe oders were externaw to it. Bewwini discusses de tiredness of de singers (after rehearsing de entire second act on de day of de premiere) as weww as noting how certain numbers faiwed to pwease—and faiwed to pwease de composer as weww! But den he expwains dat most of de second act was very effective. It appears from de wetter dat de second evening's performance was more successfuw and Weinstock reports it was from dis performance forward dat it "was recognised as a successfuw and important opera" wif 208 performances given at La Scawa awone by de end of de 19f century.[10]

Among de externaw reasons, Bewwini cited de adverse reaction caused by "hostiwe factions in de audience"[5] consisting of bof de owner of a journaw (and his cwaqwe) and awso of "a very rich woman", who is identified by Weinstock as Contessa Giuwia Samoywoff, de mistress of de composer Giovanni Pacini. On Bewwini's part, dere had wong been a feewing of rivawry wif Pacini ever since de faiwure of his own Zaira in Parma and his return to Miwan in June 1829. Wif no firm contract for a new opera for Bewwini, Pacini's success wif his Iw Tawismano at La Scawa—where it received 16 performances—fuewed dis rivawry, at weast in Bewwini's head. It was onwy when he staged a triumphant revivaw of his own wif Iw pirata wif de originaw cast dat he fewt vindicated. Pirata received 24 consecutive performances between 16 Juwy and 23 August 1829, dus outnumbering dose for Pacini's opera.[11] However, Bewwini awso noted dat on de second performance evening of Norma, de deatre was fuww.[12]

In aww, Norma was given 34 performances in its first season at La Scawa, and reports from ewsewhere, especiawwy dose from Bergamo, when it was staged in wate 1832, suggested dat it was becoming more and more popuwar. Between 1831 and 1850 Weinstock provides detaiws of de dozens of performances given in numerous cities outside of Itawy, and den he gives detaiws of dose beyond.[13]

Bewwini weft Miwan for Napwes, and den Siciwy, on 5 January 1832 and, for de first time since 1827, 1832 became a year in which he did not write an opera.[14]Norma qwickwy "[conqwered] de whowe of Europe in de space of a few years".[5]

Richard Wagner conducted Norma at Riga in 1837. Fowwowing de common nineteenf-century practice of adding interpowated arias, he wrote an aria for de bass and men's chorus for dis production, uh-hah-hah-hah.[15] However, dat aria has not entered de generaw repertoire. Wagner wrote at de time dat Norma was "indisputabwy Bewwini's most successfuw composition".[16] "In dis opera, Bewwini has undoubtedwy risen to de greatest heights of his tawent. In dese days of romantic extravaganzas and de hyper-excitement of de so-cawwed musicaw attractions he presents a phenomenon which can hardwy be overrated. The action, free from aww deatricaw coups and dazzwing effects, reminds one instinctivewy of a Greek tragedy. Perhaps de views expressed by Schiwwer in his 'Bride of Messina' to de effect dat he had hopes for de fuww revivaw of de tragedy of de ancients upon our stage, in de form of de opera, wiww receive new justification in dis Norma! Let anyone name me a spirituaw painting of its kind, more fuwwy carried out, dan dat of dis wiwd Gaewic prophetess...Every emotionaw moment stands out pwasticawwy; noding has been vaguewy swept togeder..."[17]

Wagner awso praised Romani's wibretto:

Here, where de poem rises to de tragic height of de ancient Greeks, dis kind of form, which Bewwini has certainwy ennobwed, serves onwy to increase de sowemn and imposing character of de whowe; aww de phases of passion, which are rendered in so pecuwiarwy cwear a wight by his art of song, are dereby made to rest upon a majestic soiw and ground, above which dey do not vaguewy fwutter about, but resowve demsewves into a grand and manifest picture, which invowuntariwy cawws to mind de creations of Gwuck and Spontini.[16][18]

The opera was given its British premiere in London on 20 June 1833 and its US premiere at de St. Charwes Theatre in New Orweans on 1 Apriw 1836.[19] In de wate 1840s and during de Risorgimento era, some of de music was used in demonstrations of nationawistic fervour, one such exampwe being de 1848 cewebration of de wiberation of Siciwy from de ruwe of de Bourbons hewd in de cadedraw in Pawermo. There, de "Guerra, guerra" (War, war!) chorus from act 2 was sung.[5]

Many oder notabwe sopranos have performed de rowe, so dat in modern times, Norma continues to be qwite widewy performed. Operabase shows 274 performances of 62 productions in 51 cities given or pwanned to be given since 1 January 2012.[22]

Giuwia Grisi dressed as Norma. In 1831, she awso sang de rowe of Adawgisa

The titwe rowe—"one of de most taxing and wide-ranging parts in de entire repertory"[23]—is one of de most difficuwt in de soprano repertoire. It cawws for great vocaw controw of range, fwexibiwity, and dynamics as weww as containing a wide range of emotions: confwict of personaw and pubwic wife, romantic wife, maternaw wove, friendship, jeawousy, murderous intent, and resignation, uh-hah-hah-hah. The German soprano Liwwi Lehmann once remarked dat de singing of aww dree Brünnhiwde rowes of Wagner's opera cycwe Der Ring des Nibewungen in one evening wouwd be wess stressfuw dan de singing of one Norma.[24] She awso commented "When you sing Wagner, you are so carried away by de dramatic emotion, de action, and de scene dat you do not have to dink how to sing de words. That comes of itsewf. But in Bewwini, you must awways have a care for beauty of tone and correct emission, uh-hah-hah-hah."[citation needed] According to de Met Opera Archives, Lehmann said dis to Herawd Tribune critic Henry Krehbiew.

Throughout de 20f century, many singers have taken de rowe of Norma. In de earwy 1920s, it was Rosa Raisa, Cwaudia Muzio, and Rosa Ponsewwe who were each admired. Maria Cawwas emerged as a major force in de rowe in de post-Worwd War II period. She made two studio recordings of de opera for EMI, and severaw broadcasts of her wive performances have been preserved from de earwy 1950s drough her finaw performances of de rowe in Paris in 1964.

The action takes pwace in Gauw under de Roman occupation, and exposes de wove affair between Powwione, Roman proconsuw, Norma, his former companion, and de young Adawgisa. The background is de uprising of de Gawwic peopwe against de occupier, wed by de druid Oroveso.

Norma, high priestess of de druidic tempwe who had two chiwdren of Powwione (breaking her chastity vows) Roman proconsuw, discovers dat her wover is in wove wif her friend a young priestess Adawgisa. Norma tries to convince him to give up Adawgisa and return to her, but he refuses. Norma den pubwicwy confesses her fauwt and is sentenced to deaf. Powwione is convicted for pursuing Adawgisa in de tempwe and goes to de stake wif Norma.

Oroveso weads de druids in a procession in de forest to pray for victory against de invading Romans: (Oroveso and druids: "Ite suw cowwe, o Druidi" / "Go up on de hiww, O druids"). The druids pray dat Norma wiww come and have de courage to broker peace wif de Romans: (Druids and Oroveso: "Deww'aura tua profetica" / "Wif dy prophetic aura, imbue her, O terribwe God".) Aww weave to go to de tempwe.

Powwione and Fwavio enter. Awdough Norma has secretwy broken her vows in order to wove him and has borne him two chiwdren, Powwione tewws Fwavio dat he no wonger woves her, having fawwen in wove wif de priestess Adawgisa. But he expresses some remorse, describing his dream in which Adawgisa was beside him at de awtar of Venus and a huge storm arose: (Powwione, aria: "Meco aww'awtar di Venere" / "Wif me at de awtar in Rome was Adawgisa dressed in white, veiwed aww in white.") The storm presaged disaster for dem bof: "Thus does Norma punish her faidwess wover," he decwares. They hear de trumpets sounding to announce Norma's arrivaw. Fwavio urges his friend to weave, but Powwione stands firm, procwaiming dat he wiww confront dem wif a superior power and overdrow deir awtars: (Cabawetta: "Me protegge, me difende" / "I am protected and defended")

As Norma weads de druids and priestesses, de crowd procwaims: "Norma viene" / "Norma is coming" and, as Oroveso awaits her, dey describe her dress and manner. Aww kneew as she approaches. "The time is not ripe for our revenge", she decwares, stating dat Rome wiww perish one day by being worn down, uh-hah-hah-hah. Then, wif de mistwetoe in hand, she approaches de awtar wif a pwea to de moon (de "Chaste Goddess"): (cavatina: "Casta diva" / "Chaste goddess"). Continuing, she pweads dat de goddess shed upon earf dat peace which she has created in heaven, uh-hah-hah-hah. She cawws for aww to compwete de rites and den cwear de uninitiated from de grove. To hersewf, she decwares dat she cannot hurt Powwione, but desires dat dings return to where dey used to be: (Cabawetta: "Ah! bewwo a me ritorna" / "Return to me, O beautifuw one"). The assembwed crowd accepts her cautious approach, and aww weave de grove.

Adawgisa prays at de tempwe, remembering wif some sorrow how she became invowved wif Powwione. He enters, tewwing her dat she prays to a cruew god and is not trying to invoke de god of wove. Whiwe she appears to reject him, he decwares (Aria: "Va crudewe" /"Go, O cruew one") but he is convinced dat he cannot weave her; he is distraught, but she is eqwawwy torn, untiw de moment when he decwares dat he must return to Rome de fowwowing day. He begs Adawgisa to go wif him: (Duet: Powwione, den Adawgisa, den togeder: "Vieni in Roma" / "Come to Rome"). She resists him, but finawwy appears to agree dat dey wiww weave togeder de fowwowing day.

Norma appears to be upset and orders her maid, Cwotiwde, to take de two chiwdren away from her, expressing very confwicted feewings about dem. She tewws Cwotiwde dat Powwione has been recawwed to Rome, but does not know if he wiww take her or how he feews about weaving his chiwdren, uh-hah-hah-hah. As Adawgisa approaches, de chiwdren are taken away.

Adawgisa tewws Norma she has fawwen in wove wif a Roman, whom she does not name. As she describes how she feww in wove whiwe waiting at de tempwe and seeing "his handsome face" appear, Norma recawws (as an aside) her own feewings for Powwione ("my passions, too, burned wike dis"), and more and more, deir experiences of fawwing in wove run parawwew: (Norma and Adawgisa, duet: "Sowa, furtiva aw tempio" / "Often I wouwd wait for him"). Adawgisa pweads for hewp and forgiveness, and Norma pwedges dat she wiww do dat and wiww awso free her from her vows as a priestess: (Norma: "Ah! sì, fa core, abbracciami" / "Yes, take heart, embrace me". Adawgisa: "Ripeti, o ciew, ripetimi" / "Say dat again, heavens, say again")

Norma asks Adawgisa to describe de man whom she woves. Responding, she tewws her dat he is a Roman, and, at dat moment, turns to indicate dat it is Powwione who is just den entering de room. As Norma furiouswy turns to confront Powwione, Adawgisa is confused: Norma: "Oh! non tremare, o perfido" / "O faidwess man, do not trembwe".

There fowwow angry exchanges among de dree, Norma decwaring Powwione to be a traitor; he trying to persuade Adawgisa to weave wif him; and she angriwy tewwing him to go away. When he decwares dat it is his fate to weave Norma, she encourages de young priestess to go wif him, but de watter decwares dat she wouwd rader die. Norma den demands dat her wover go, weaving behind his chiwdren—and his honour. (Finawe: brief duet, Adawgisa and Powwione: he decwares his wove, and she her desire to Norma not to be de cause of grief to her. Trio: Norma continues to rage at Powwione, Adawgisa repeats her desire to make him return to Norma, and Powwione curses de day when he met Norma.) Then de sound of de druids cawwing Norma to de tempwe is heard. They report dat de angry god, Irminsuw, has spoken, uh-hah-hah-hah. Powwione storms out.

The young priestess enters, concerned at how pawe Norma wooks. Norma makes her swear to do everyding she asks and, upon her agreement, tewws her dat she is entrusting de two chiwdren to her care and states dat dey shouwd be taken to de Roman camp to deir fader Powwione, a man whom she hopes wiww make a better mate for Adawgisa dan he was for her. Adawgisa is aghast. Norma: "I beg you for his chiwdren's sake." (Duet, first Norma: "Deh! con te, con te wi prendi" / "Pwease, take dem wif you") Adawgisa tewws her dat she wiww never weave Gauw and onwy agreed to de reqwest in order to do what was good for Norma. (Duet, Adawgisa: "Vado aw campo") In de duet, Adawgisa agrees to go to de Roman camp and teww Powwione of Norma's grief but her hope is to persuade him to return to Norma. She den renounces Powwione: (Duet: "Mira, o Norma" / "Look, o Norma") They sing togeder, each expressing her own doughts and feewings untiw Norma reawises dat Adawgisa wiww give up Powwione and remain wif her: (Cabawetta: Duet, Norma and Adawgisa: "Si fino aww'ore estreme" / "Untiw de wast hour")

The druid warriors gader and prepare demsewves to attack de Romans. Oroveso enters wif news from de gods: de time has not arrived to strike. Somewhat frustrated, de sowdiers accept de decision, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Norma enters. (Aria: "Ei tornerà" / "He wiww come back") Then Cwotiwde arrives wif news dat Adawgisa has faiwed to persuade Powwione to return, uh-hah-hah-hah. Awdough Norma qwestions wheder she shouwd have trusted her, she den wearns from her servant dat Adawgisa is returning and wishes to take her vows at de awtar and dat de Roman has sworn to abduct her from de tempwe. In anger, Norma strikes a gong-wike shiewd as a summons to war. Trumpets sound and Oroveso and de druids aww rush in, demanding to know what is happening. They hear Norma's answer and de sowdiers take up de refrain: "Guerra, guerra!" / "War, war!", whiwe Norma procwaims "Bwood, bwood! Revenge!"

In order for Norma to compwete de rites to audorise going to war, Oroveso demands to know who wiww be de sacrificiaw victim. At dat moment, Cwotiwde rushes in to announce dat a Roman has desecrated de tempwe, but dat he has been apprehended. It is Powwione who is wed in, and Norma is urged to take de sacrificiaw knife to stab him but, approaching him, she is unabwe to perform de deed. The assembwed crowd demands to know why, but she dismisses dem, stating dat she needs to qwestion her victim.

The crowd departs: (Duet, Norma and Powwione: "In mia man awfin tu sei" / "At wast you are in my hands"). Norma demands dat he forever shun Adawgisa; onwy den wiww she rewease him and never see him again, uh-hah-hah-hah. He refuses, and she vents her anger by tewwing him dat she wiww den kiww her chiwdren, uh-hah-hah-hah. "Strike me instead", he demands, "so dat onwy I awone wiww die", but she qwickwy asserts dat not onwy wiww aww de Romans die, but so wiww Adawgisa, who has broken her vows as a priestess. This prompts him to pwead for her wife. (Cabawetta: Norma and Powwione: "Già mi pasco ne' tuoi sguardi" / "Awready I take pweasure in de wooks you give me".) When Powwione demands de knife, she cawws de priests to assembwe. Norma announces dat it wouwd be better to sacrifice a priestess who has broken her vows, and orders de pyre to be wit. Oroveso demands to know who is to be sacrificed whiwe Powwione begs dat she stays siwent. Norma den wonders to hersewf if she is not in fact de guiwty one, den reveaws dat it is she who is to be de victim: a high priestess who has broken her vows, has become invowved wif de enemy, and has borne his chiwdren, uh-hah-hah-hah. (Aria, Norma to Powwione: "Quaw cor tradisti" / "The heart you betrayed"; Duet: Norma and Powwione; ensembwe, Norma, Oroveso, Powwione, druids, priests: each expresses his/her sorrow, anger, pweas to Norma, wif Oroveso wearning for de first time dat Norma is a moder.)

In de concerted finawe, Norma pweads wif Oroveso to spare her chiwdren ("Deh! non vowerwi vittime" / "Pwease don't make dem victims"). As she prepares to weap into de fwames, de re-enamoured Powwione joins her, decwaring "your pyre is mine as weww. There, a howier and everwasting wove wiww begin".[34]

It was Giuseppe Verdi who—wate in his wife—made some perceptive comments in a wetter of May 1898 to Camiwwe Bewaigue [fr], who had recentwy pubwished a book on Bewwini. In de wetter, Verdi states:

Bewwini is poor, it is true, in harmony and instrumentation; but rich in feewing and in an individuaw mewanchowy of his own! Even in de weast weww-known of his operas, in La straniera, in Iw pirata, dere are wong, wong, wong mewodies such as no-one before him had produced. And what truf and power of decwamation, as for exampwe in de duet between Powwione and Norma! [See act 2, scene 3 above. Norma: "In mia man awfin tu sei" / "At wast you are in my hands"] And what ewation of dought in de first phrase of de introduction [to de duet] ... no-one ever has created anoder more beautifuw and heavenwy.[35]

Commenting on de overaww qwawity of de music in Norma, David Kimbeww states dat "Bewwini's most astonishing achievement in Norma is, amid aww de more obvious excitements of musicaw Romanticism, to have asserted his bewief dat de true magic of opera depended on a kind of incantation in which dramatic poetry and song are perfectwy fused."[36] Additionawwy, Kimbeww provides exampwes of how de composer's art is reveawed in dis opera, but awso noting dat de abiwity to achieve a "fusion of music and dramatic meaning is to be found ewsewhere in Bewwini's work"[36]

Schopenhauer cwaimed dat tragedy causes de spectator to wose de wiww to wive. "The horrors on de stage howd up to him de bitterness and wordwessness of wife, and so de vanity of aww its efforts and endeavors. The effect of dis impression must be dat he becomes aware, awdough onwy in an obscure feewing, dat it is better to tear his heart away from wife, to turn his wiwwing away from it, not to wove de worwd and wife."[37] He praised Norma for its artistic excewwence in producing dis effect. "…[T]he genuinewy tragic effect of de catastrophe, de hero's resignation and spirituaw exawtation produced by it, sewdom appear so purewy motivated and distinctwy expressed as in de opera Norma, where it comes in de duet "Quaw cor tradisti, qwaw cor perdesti" [What a heart you betrayed, what a heart you wost]. Here de conversion of de wiww is cwearwy indicated by de qwietness suddenwy introduced into de music. Quite apart from its excewwent music, and from de diction dat can onwy be dat of a wibretto, and considered onwy according to its motives and to its interior economy, dis piece is in generaw a tragedy of extreme perfection, a true modew of de tragic disposition of de motives, of de tragic progress of de action, and of tragic devewopment, togeder wif de effect of dese on de frame of mind of de heroes, which surmounts de worwd. This effect den passes on to de spectator."[37]

Norma, or A Powitician's Love (Danish: Norma ewwer En Powitikers Kjærwighed) is an eight-page drama written as an opera parody by Henrik Ibsen. It is infwuenced by Bewwini's Norma, which Ibsen saw in 1851, but de characters are contemporary powiticians. The pway was first printed anonymouswy in de satiricaw magazine Andhrimner in 1851.[38] The first book edition came in 1909, and de first performance of de pway was at a student deatre in Trondheim 1994.

Writer Marion Zimmer Bradwey acknowwedged dat de pwot of her 1993 historicaw novew/fantasy book The Forest House was based on dat of Norma – rewocated from Gauw to Britain, but sharing de basic pwot outwine of a wove affair between a druidic priestess and a Roman officer. Bradwey furder stated dat, in homage to Bewwini, de hymns in chapter five and twenty-two of her book are adapted from de wibretto of de opera's act 1, scene 1, and dose in chapter dirty from act 2, scene 2.[39]